Here's who is running for Durham mayor and city council

The shape of the Durham City Council could change as incumbents decline to fight for their seats and newcomers kick off fresh challenges in November's elections.

Driving the news: Friday was the filing deadline for candidates entering the race for mayor or the city council.

State of play: A primary election will be held Oct. 10.

• The two mayoral candidates with the most primary votes will face off on Election Day November 7.
• Three City Council seats are up for grabs. The top 6 finishers in the primary move on to the November election.

Here's who is running for mayor:

• Former City Council member and current Democratic State Sen. Mike Woodard.
• Current City Council member Leonardo (Leo) Williams, who operates the popular Southern African restaurants Zweli's and Ekhaya.
• Current City Council member DeDreana Freeman, who was elected to the council in 2017.
• Charlitta Burruss, a local community leader who previously ran for mayor in 2021 and City Council in 2019.
• Sylvester Williams, a local pastor who has run numerous times for local office in the past.
• Nick Pettiford
• Jontae Dunston
• Marshall Williams Jr.

Here's who is running for council:

• Nate Baker, an urban planning professional who has been a member of the Durham Planning Commision since 2018.
• Shanetta Burris, a program manager at Lillian’s List, an organization that recruits women to run for office.
• Incumbent council member Javiera Caballero, who became the first Latino council member in 2018 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2021.
• J.J. Campbell, a North Durham resident.
• Waldo Fenner, a resident of the Walltown neighborhood who studies behavioral health.
• Bonita Green, the chair of the Merrick-Moore Community Development Group.
• Incumbent council member Monique Holsey-Hyman, who was appointed in 2022 when Charlie Reece resigned from the council.

• Shelia Ann Huggins, a lawyer who previously was a real estate manager for the city and ran for City Council in 2017.
• Khalilah Karim, a field director for the N.C. League of Conservation Voters and a former organizer for the union advocacy group Service Employees International Union.
• Carl Rist, a consultant who previously worked at Prosperity Now, a nonprofit working on economic development for low-income families, for many years.
• Sherri Zann Rosenthal, the city's longtime deputy city attorney who retired in 2020.
• Renee Vaughan, a researcher at Duke University who has served on the city's Homeless Services Advisory Committee.

The big picture: The Durham City Council has been divided — especially on the issue of approving rezonings for new subdivisions in the city — over the past two years.

• And an investigation into city council member Monique Holsey-Hyman over an alleged extortion attempt of a local developer revealed serious tensions between council members.